Located on Avenida Vieira Souto in the heart of Ipanema beach, Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro combines the glamour and sophistication of Rio’s most coveted address with the Fasano commitment to excellence. In his first hotel arquitecture project, Philippe Starck chose READ MORE
For travelers who are taller or broader or heavier than the average American, who have had their knees bashed, heads bonked and hips squeezed on flights from coast to coast, a little relief is in sight.READ MORE
The budget standoff – Intensifies the Air Travel Headache
There is the prospect of significant effects on air travel.
In recent days, Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, has been warning that the budget cuts would create major disruptions in air travel. He said, for instance, that staff furloughs at the READ MORE
E. B. White, that eloquent chronicler of New York, once proclaimed that anyone wishing to live here should be “willing to be lucky.” That’s still good guidance for locals—and anyone planning to eat out in the city.READ MORE
The poet Maya Angelou once said you can tell a lot about a person from the way they respond to three things: a rainy day, tangled Christmas lights, and lost luggage.
Maya, Maya. Where were you at 2 a.m. the dark night I arrived in Paris without my bags? I needed my suit for the next morning, not folksy aphorisms or your musings on why the caged bird sings. Personally, I find the caged bird sings most beautifully when he has his laptop charger and toothbrush.
We’ll never know quite how Dr. Angelou would cope with the news that a vacation’s worth of clean underwear has been flown to the wrong Portland. But she’s right to suggest READ MORE
One of our favorite travel story of last week involved players from Barcelona football club, and their request for all-female cabin crew when flying with the team’s official carrier, Turkish Airlines. The pampered millionaires (a cliché appropriate for such occasions) are apparently fed up with having to deal with gawping, autograph-requesting male cabin crew.
Spanish football giant Barcelona has requested all female cabin crews during official sponsor Turkish Airlines flights due to the extreme interest male attendants usually show in the players, Airporthaber has reported.
The male flight attendants constantly asked for autographs and jerseys from globally-loved players like Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, which eventually became a problem for the team officials.
Turkish Airlines has therefore granted Barcelona a handpicked crew, made up of 20 female flight attendants, to accompany the players during their flights.
Source the hurriyetdailynews.com
How to survive a convention, inauguration or SXSW
EVENTS like national political conventions, major sporting events, inaugurations and the like present a special challenge for business travellers. Even the best-run cities strain under the pressure of tens or even hundreds of thousands of extra visitors. With an entire metropolis in chaos, it’s especially important to find the right place to stay and have a good way to get around. Otherwise, you won’t get any work done. Here are some tips:
Source the Economist.
Sep 4th 2012, 10:30 by N.B. | CHARLOTTE
The lounge has been conceived as a harmonious pathway, consisting of sections which are conductive to walking acting as a prelude to the journey ahead.
The architectural concept was inspired by a park and developed around a contemporary reinterpretation of the plant expression.
Shapes, material and colours conjure up nature and the organic world. The paths are organised and give structure to the lounge like offshoots of a plant: taut lines and curved shapes go hand in hand with the vision and retain privacy without partitioning.
This upmarket lounge, which is over 3,000 m2, is situated in the new S4 boarding satellite at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
Designed by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance and Brandimage.
With the goal of making bland airline meals a thing of the past, the culinary team at British Airways Height Cuisine turned to Chef Heston Blumenthal to help them tackle the challenge of serving great-tasting food at 35,000 feet. In his show “Heston’s Mission Impossible” Blumentahl explored why so many foods loose flavor at altitude. He then set about developing techniques to solve the problem. Blumenthal suggests that the key to creating flavorful airline menus can be found in the ability to harness the powers of umami-rich ingredients.
Umami flavors now power British Airways’ Height Cuisine menus. Mushrooms, shellfish, truffles, tomatoes and other umami-rich foods can be found in the Gate Gourmet kitchen
The word umami may seem to have popped up recently, but according to Tim Hanni of the Napa Seasoning Company, this particular taste “was dubbed umami, a vernacular word for ‘good’ in Japanese, by Dr. Ikeda in the early 20th century, who formally presented research in 1908 that umami was a separate, primary taste.” Hanni, also known as the Swami of Umami explains, “The umami taste sensation is triggered by natural glutamate that is found in a vast array of foods: meats, poultry, seafood, dairy/cheeses, vegetables and fruits. Umami is amplified significantly when compounds called nucleotides, associated with fermentation and ripening, are added to the mix.” After much research and exploration of the power of umami, Hanni created his own product, Vignon, an all-natural, all-purpose seasoning made with sea salt and over 20 ‘micro ingredients’ that makes everything taste more flavorful and rich.
Umami flavors now power British Airways’ Height Cuisine menus. Mushrooms, shellfish, truffles, tomatoes and other umami-rich foods can be found in the Gate Gourmet kitchen. These techniques add power to the overall flavor profile of the food without needing to increase the amounts of salt and sugar. They are carefully prepared and sent up in the air to help make the experience of flying more enjoyable and delicious.
Sitting in Club World or World Traveler Plus class, looking down at a colorful plate of Caledonia blue shrimp with grilled artichoke, tomato petals and sherry truffle vinaigrette, or a Provencale vegetable lasagna with basil ricotta and creamy yellow tomato sauce, passengers now have a much better chance to taste the intended flavor of the food that has been carefully prepared and served with pride by the British Airways’ cabin crew.
Umami Flavors Fly High
British Airways menus powered with the fifth taste serve food high in flavor and lower in salt and sugar.
by Largetail in Travel on 29 June 2012
When they collide, which will prevail?
As it turns out, it’s no contest. A reader writes about what played out at this year’s Carnaval: We doubt that the same joie de vivre is possible in a TSA-sanctioned environment.
This video touches on two of your themes: airport security and cross-cultural differences. It’s a bloco, or parade dance party, at Santos Dumont the city airport for Rio de Janeiro. Minute 1:30 to 2:00 has the best sambaing.
Passengers are entering the screening queue from the left of the scene above and passing through metal detectors there. Then they head toward their planes (including the man walking toward the camera at the left).
A reader who travels very frequently in and out of China’s main airports was in Beijing Capital airport today. He sends a shot of the security line a few hours ago at what is now the second-busiest airport in the world.
A reader writes,
“Greetings from Beijing Airport! Last year I sent you a photo of the TSA equivalent and it’s still so much better than TSA! You could say in software terms it’s a much better UX! [User Experience.] Every time! ”
What’s your experience? We would love to know.
Original Article: theatlantic.com – James Fallows is a national correspondent for The Atlantic and has written for the magazine since the late 1970s. He has reported extensively from outside the United States, and once worked as President Carter’s chief speechwriter. His latest book, China Airborne, will be published in May.